Foreword
About the Authors
Acknowledgments
INTRODUCTION
Why Teach Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in the Classroom?
What Are the Thrive Skills?
Taking This Book to the Next Level (Thrive Website)
Thriving Together
CHAPTER 1. MINDFULNESS IN THE CLASSROOM: SLOWING DOWN TO SPEED UP
SUCCESS
Why Don’t They Just Pay Attention?
Mindfulness: What It Is and What It Is Not
Using Mindfulness in the Classroom
Beginning a Mindfulness Practice
Research on Mindfulness in the Classroom
Implementation in the Classroom
What Supporting Mindfulness Looks Like in the Classroom
Frequently Asked Questions
Discussion Questions and Exercises
Thrive Skills in Action
CHAPTER 2. HELPING STUDENTS WITH THEIR COMMAND AND CONTROL
FUNCTIONS
Executive Function: What Is It?
The Six Skills of Executive Functioning
EF Skill 1: Self-Regulation and Self-Control
EF Skill 2: Working Memory
EF Skill 3: Task Initiation, Organization, and Time Management
EF Skill 4: Flexibility
EF Skill 5: Emotional Regulation
EF Skill 6: Focus
What Supporting Executive Function Looks Like in the Classroom
Frequently Asked Questions
Discussion Questions and Exercises
Thrive Skills in Action
CHAPTER 3. CREATING STUDENT AGENCY THROUGH SELF-EFFICACY AND GROWTH
MINDSET
Self-Efficacy: What Is It?
Self-Efficacy: What Is It Not? (Learned Helplessness)
Aim for the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)
Students’ Beliefs About Success (Attribution Theory)
Growth vs. Fixed Mindsets
How Do We Help Students Develop Growth Mindsets?
What Supporting Self-Efficacy and Growth Mindset Looks Like in the
Classroom
Frequently Asked Questions
Discussion Questions and Exercises
Thrive Skills in Action
CHAPTER 4. PERSEVERANCE: PUSHING THROUGH DESPITE THE SETBACKS
Quit Now or Finish? What Makes the Difference?
Perseverance: What It Is and What It Is Not
What Educators Need to Know About Perseverance
What Does Perseverance Look Like in the Classroom?
What Supporting Perseverance Looks Like in the Classroom
Frequently Asked Questions
Discussion Questions and Exercises
Thrive Skills in Action
CHAPTER 5. BOUNCING BACK: TEACHING KIDS ABOUT RESILIENCE
Resilience: What Is It?
Acknowledge the Struggle
Normalize the Struggle
The Classroom as the Tribe
Resiliency in Boys
Developing Resiliency Through Competency
Building Hope
What Supporting Resilience Looks Like in the Classroom
Frequently Asked Questions
Discussion Questions and Exercises
Thrive Skills in Action
CHAPTER 6. BUILDING A CULTURE OF RESPONSIBILITY IN THE
CLASSROOM
Give Kids a Chance to Act Responsibly
Teaching Responsibility in an Entitled Society
Using Accountability to Promote Responsibility
Building a Culture of Responsibility
Teachers as Models of Responsibility
How Do We Reinforce Responsibility?
What Supporting Responsibility Looks Like in the Classroom
Frequently Asked Questions
Discussion Questions and Exercises
Thrive Skills in Action
CHAPTER 7. CULTIVATING HONESTY AND INTEGRITY IN STUDENT CHOICES
How Do We Teach Personal Integrity?
How Do We Teach Academic Integrity?
What Do We Do When Children Cheat?
The Restorative Justice Approach
The Courage to Take a Stand
What Supporting Honesty and Integrity Looks Like in the
Classroom
Frequently Asked Questions
Discussion Questions and Exercises
Thrive Skills in Action
CHAPTER 8. TAPPING INTO EMPATHY
Empathy: What Is It?
Does Everyone Have Empathy?
What Does Empathy Look Like in Action?
Why Is It Important to Teach About Empathy?
Modeling Empathy in the Classroom
Service Learning Projects
Integrating Empathy Into the Curriculum
The Power of Empathy
What Supporting Empathy Looks Like in the Classroom
Frequently Asked Questions
Discussion Questions and Exercises
Thrive Skills in Action
CHAPTER 9. IT’S ALL ABOUT GRATITUDE
“Pay It Forward” Is Still Thriving
Gratitude: What Is It?
What Research Tells Us About Gratitude
Why We Should Teach Gratitude in the Classroom
How Do We Teach Gratitude in the Classroom?
What Supporting Gratitude Looks Like in the Classroom
Frequently Asked Questions
Discussion Questions and Exercises
Thrive Skills in Action
Final Words
References
Index
Dr. Debbie Silver is a humorist, consultant, and retired educator
with over thirty years of experience as a classroom teacher, staff
development facilitator, and university professor. As a classroom
teacher, Debbie won numerous awards, including the 1990 Louisiana
Teacher of the Year award. She speaks worldwide on issues involving
education and is a passionate advocate for students and
teachers.
Debbie wrote the best-selling books, Drumming to the Beat of
Different Marchers and Fall Down 7 Times, Get Up 8. She co-wrote
the best-selling Teaching Kids to Thrive. In 1990, Debbie Pace and
Lawrence Silver merged their families of 3 boys (Debbie) and 2 boys
(Lawrence) as they married and eventually both earned their
doctorate degrees (to form a “pair-a-docs”). They currently reside
in Melissa, TX.
One of the nation’s most popular keynote speakers and
professional development presenters, Debbie has given presentations
around the world (including 49 states [Hey, Delaware, let’s talk!],
Canada, Mexico, Europe, the Middle East, Australia, Africa, and
Asia), helping audiences to interact with students on a more
meaningful level.
While inspiring educators to enjoy the job they once loved,
she reminds them of how important they are in the lives of
children, their families, and the world. Through her writing and
her speaking she makes essential points while sharing poignant
stories and lots of laughs.
Dedra Stafford is a dedicated consultant and a proud member of the
Association of Middle Level Education and National Association of
Secondary School Principals Speakers Cadres. She is an Educational
Speaker and has presented at international, national, state, and
local conferences across the nation including NMSA (National Middle
School Association) sharing inspirational ideas, from technology to
school climate. Dedra is passionate about providing quality staff
development for educators. She an internationally known speaker,
trainer and author in the educational world. Dedra creates
entertaining workshops that get crowds energized, motivated, and
inspired to be their ‘best’ for the students they serve. As a
former classroom teacher, she understands the need for professional
development where practical ideas can be implemented immediately
into the classroom. She creates fun-filled workshops designed to be
hands-on and interactive. Dedra has a unique ability to put
educators at ease as she teaches concepts and beliefs incorporated
with humor in a user friendly way. She speaks on the topics of
about technology, climate, curriculum, and classroom techniques
resulting in her audience laughing, learning, and having new
enthusiasm for their work.
"The 2017-2018 school year started off with a great excitement in
Roxbury this year! With the support of Corwin, our district was
delighted to welcome Mrs. Debbie Silver, author of Teaching Kids to
Thrive, Deliberate Optimism, and Fall Down 7 Times, Get up 8, as
keynote speaker. She delivered an exhilarating address to over
500 staff members getting them excited about the prospect of a new
school year, mindfulness strategies, and self-efficacy. She
then led independent breakout sessions for our elementary and
secondary populations with a focus on stress management and
deliberate optimism. I can′t imagine a better way to have
kicked off our school year and gotten our staff excited about the
return of our students than Debbie. She was entertaining,
heart-warming, and knowledgeable, what a perfect combination. I
would recommend Debbie to any school looking to establish these
skills without hesitation."
*Charles Seipp*
"Teaching Kids to Thrive: Essential Skills for Success is a book
that not only argues effectively for including social and emotional
learning in every classroom, it also shows teachers how to do
it. Debbie Silver and Dedra Stafford demonstrate how SEL
instruction can be woven into all subject areas at every level of
preK-12 education. They descriptively outline what SEL-friendly
classrooms look like, and they provide a wealth of tools and
strategies for educators who want to teach beyond the standards. I
recommend this book for new and veteran teachers alike who want to
help students learn to thrive both now and throughout their future
lives."
*Todd Whitaker, Professor of Educational Leadership*
"Reading Teaching Kids to Thrive was like feeding my brain with
PopRocks! It had me captivated, wondering, and marveling…all at the
same time. Debbie and Dedra provide insightful research, actionable
skills, and inspirational stories, while recognizing the voices of
students and teachers at the turn of every page."
*Dr. Russell J. Quaglia, Executive Director*
"There are some books that you pick up and just cannot put down.
Well, this is one of them. If you are ready to move beyond grit,
then Teaching Kids to Thrive is the linchpin needed in every school
system. The authors provide relevant research to build their case
and share easy and simple teacher-approved strategies that can be
used immediately. Any stakeholder in education who wants to
transform school culture must make Teaching Kids to Thrive required
reading."
*Simon T. Bailey and Marceta Reilly, Authors*
"Debbie Silver and Debra Stafford go to the heart of schooling
students in this century - addressing the power of mindfulness, the
value of empathy, and boosting the resilience of young people at a
time the world requires such a skill the most. Using relatable
stories and strategies the goal to help students THRIVE is central
in every chapter. Like a favorite piece of music, the authors′
passion for education is extremely contagious and memorable."
*Jennifer Buchanan, MBA, MTA*
"Hoorah! Here is help with the overlooked aspects of teaching that
matter most. Don′t just read it, study it, live with it, and you
too will thrive."
*John Lounsbury, Dean Emeritus*
"′Good teachers teach subjects. Great teachers teach students.′"
This often repeated quote of unknown origin typifies both the
authors of this book and the intent of the book’s content. In a
world where "all data counts but all that counts in not data"
Debbie Silver and Dedra Stafford provide guidance and important
information on how teachers can teach students some of the most
important of all lessons, things that do not become part of the
data base which too often defines students. Teaching students to
Thrive guides teachers in how to incorporate essential social and
emotional skills into daily routines. These are the essential
skills students need in order to realize their potential not only
as students but as successful and fulfilled members of
society. As well as essential information, the authors
incorporate practical activity guides to enable teachers to help
their students become more successful in school and in life.
Anecdotes, examples, and practical activities guide the reader to
become more adept in incorporating social and emotional learning
skills into everyday classroom environments. This book is a
must-read for all teachers who harbor the desire to help their
students develop the skills to successfully navigate not only
school but life itself."
*Duane Inman, Ph.D., Professor of Education*
"In college courses, education students learn how to teach academic
content. In Teaching Kids to Thrive, Silver and Stafford emphasize
the importance of also teaching students. In a world changing at a
pace rarely seen in human history, merely learning coursework won’t
be enough. Today’s children need to be prepared to face challenges,
and have the capacity to flourish, regardless of what life throws
at them. Thrive has teacher-friendly strategies and support that
allow even the most experienced educators to see real cognitive,
social, and emotional growth in their students."
*Cheryl Mizerny, Educator and Blogger*
"Why should you read Teaching Kids to Thrive? Students today may be
the most connected generation in history, but they can’t find ways
to connect with themselves. Dr. Debbie Silver and Dedra Stafford
masterfully illustrate that "Thrive" skills can no longer be
considered soft. This book evidences that learning how to control
their bodies and emotions is every bit as essential to the modern
learner as understanding how to control the devices that students
love so dearly."
*Jared Covili, Author*
"Teaching Kids To Thrive: Essential Skills For Success is an
excellent practical guide for educators who want to apply the ideas
of Social Emotional Learning to their classroom."
*Larry Ferlazzo, Teacher, Author and Education Week Teacher advice
blogger*
"Silver and Stafford have answered the question educators have
asked time and again: "How, exactly, do I create a classroom
culture conducive to growth, collaboration and critical thinking?"
The book explores the importance of resilience, empathy,
persistence and skills related to active listening to creating the
mindset that will nurture and accelerate the continuous-improvement
process. These are not "soft skills" that live on the periphery of
textbook-driven, correct-answer-seeking lessons. They are life
skills students need to practice - and teachers need to model - on
the road to success in school, college, the workplace, and in a
democracy. This is an eminently practical resource with enough
research, examples, frequently asked questions, exercises, stories
and humor for all educators; and all educators should have a copy
of this book."
*Ron Nash, Author/Consultant*
"I am doing backflips over having this book in my life! I work with
teachers every day and every day I field questions on how to
support learners in being open and present for learning. It
is true-- we are educating a different type of learner than those
of earlier generations. And so our teaching must shift,
remembering that we teach children, not curriculum. Silver
and Stafford have written the guide to working with this new
generation of students; one which begins with the social-emotional
health of each learner. They tackle head-on the most
challenging and real moments of teaching, creating a
research-based, practical, tried-and-true (yet cutting edge)
handbook to simply and powerfully show learners how to ground and
bloom. While this book focuses on students, the outcomes will
bring joy, fulfillment, and gratitude to teachers. I have
been waiting for this book without knowing it and now it will be my
go-to resource and recommended text on teaching students how to
thrive in all educational settings and in life."
*Patty McGee, Author/Consultant*
"There are no convenient, instant answers to solve tough issues in
education, and no one "event" can make a difficult student easy to
teach. Great teaching is hard work. This book lays out a brilliant
process for building Thrive skills. Read the book.
Practice the skills. Practice patience and perseverance.
Enjoy the rewards."
*Dr. Monte Selby*
"Plain spoken and practical with enough neuroscientific research to
support what teachers and parents have been sensing but didn′t have
the knowledge to articulate."
*Dr. Susan Grant,Ph.D, LLC*
"It is now time for student to truly thrive! Educators have
been looking for a resource that puts the reality back in
education. Silver and Stafford have done just that. The authors
know about the importance of students understanding content, but
they also realize that students must be optimistic, show integrity,
understand empathy, and believe in gratitude. What we can learn
from this book is that you may never lose a job in life because
you’re too smart; you get fired because you’re not a nice person.
Make sure you look at their examples and situations and try to
change your practices within our classroom or school. Let’s help
our students thrive in all aspects of their life!"
*Jack Berckemeyer, Educator, Author, Humorist and Consultant*
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